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Graduate Program

The University of North Carolina
Wilmington is located in the southeastern part of the state on a
beautifully landscaped 650-acre campus, with buildings of modified
Georgian architecture.
The city of Wilmington is situated on the east bank of the Cape
Fear River. The state's major port, it has a metropolitan population of
150,000, several industries, rich local historical resources, and a
developing cultural and artistic base. Ten miles from Wrightsville Beach
and fifteen miles from Carolina Beach, the city's proximity to the
ocean provides a delightful year-round climate and varied recreational
activities.

HISTORY

The University of North Carolina at Wilmington was
founded in 1947 as Wilmington College, a locally supported and governed
institution, to provide the youth and adults of New Hanover County and
southeastern North Carolina with an opportunity for two years of university parallel study, semiprofessional training and
vocational-technical education at moderate expense. In 1963 Wilmington
College became a four-year institution authorized to offer the
bachelor's degree, and in 1969, renamed the University of North Carolina
at Wilmington, it became a constituent institution of the University of
North Carolina system.

Graduate studies were authorized at Wilmington in 1977; the Master of Arts program in History was inaugurated in August 1989.

HISTORY GRADUATE PROGRAM

“UNCW offers the Master of Arts in History, in either a thesis or non-thesis track, with specialization in United States, European, Global, and Public History.”

The on-campus M.A. presents the opportunity to work with research-active faculty in small classes, independent studies and internships.

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

The program requires a minimum of 30 semester hours of graduate study, 24 of which must be in history. A maximum of six semester hours may be transferred from another accredited institution, at the discretion of the History Graduate Committee. Transfer credits will be awarded only for grades of “B” or better. At least 24 hours of graduate study must be completed in residence.

A minimum of 24 semester hours, including thesis, must be earned in courses open only to graduate students. Students must complete HST 500, 12 hours in the area of concentration and nine hours of electives. Six hours must be completed in seminars. Students are limited to nine hours of cross-listed courses, six hours of directed studies and six hours of courses in other departments. Students must pass a written comprehensive examination that will be administered no earlier than during the final semester of enrollment in course work.

Students in the thesis track will present and defend and major written research paper grounded in primary source materials.

Students in the non-thesis track will take six additional hours of course work and must pass a written comprehensive examination at the end of their course work.

Students in the thesis track must pass a competency examination demonstrating satisfactory reading knowledge of a foreign language.

The program shall be completed within five years of the date of first registration for graduate study.

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